Who we are

The Kent State University Press is the publishing arm of Kent State University. Our imprint is controlled by an Editorial Board composed of Kent faculty scholars. As a member of the Association of American University Presses, we are included in the select group of more than 100 university-sponsored scholarly presses, whose outstanding programs make them an important segment of the publishing and academic community.

The Press began in 1965 under the direction of Howard Allen and published in the University faculty strengths in literary criticism. In 1972 Paul Rohmann became the Press's second director and expanded the Press's publishing program to include regional studies and ethnomusicology. In 1985 historian John Hubbell assumed the directorship and for fifteen years saw the staff and publishing program grow to include widely regarded lists in Civil War history and Ohio history. Today, under director Will Underwood, the Press publishes 30 to 35 titles a year and reaches a large and appreciative audience.